LATEST STORIES IN MIDDLE-EAST

TEHRAN: Iran has strongly denied reports of an explosion at its Fordo underground atomic site as “Western propaganda” ahead of stalled nuclear talks with major powers, media reported on Monday.“No explosion has occurred in the Fordo facility,” the deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Shamseddin Bar Boroudi, was quoted as saying.A top lawmaker in charge of Iran’s national security commission, Aladin Borujerdi, said: “The false news of an explosion at the Fordo site is Western propaganda ahead of nuclear negotiations to influence its process and outcome.”The denials came after Western and Israeli media reports citing an American website, www.wnd.com, said an explosion at the Fordo facility on January 21 had caused major damage and trapped workers.The United States, however, said it does not believe media reports about the explosion“We have no information to confirm the allegations in the report and we do not believe the report is credible,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday. “We don’t believe those are credible reports.”There has been no comment from the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency that monitors activities in Iran, which the West suspects of trying to develop the bomb.Iran has on several times accused Israel and the United States of taking action to sabotage its nuclear program, through assassinations of its scientists and unleashing computer malware against its facilities.The sensitive nuclear Fordo site is dug deep into a mountain near the holy city of Qom, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Tehran, to protect it against air strikes.But the site, Iran says, has been targeted by sabotage.Iran’s nuclear chief, Fereydoon Abbasi Davani, said in September that “explosives” were used to cut the power supply to Fordo, without naming those responsible.The site, whose existence was revealed by major powers in 2009, began in late 2011 to enrich uranium to purities of 20 percent, a process that lies at the heart of the international community’s concerns.World powers have engaged Tehran several times to resolve concerns about its atomic ambitions, which Iran insists are peaceful.The last round of talks with the the so-called P5+1 — the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia — held June in Moscow ended with a stalemate, as did previous rounds.The sides have failed to agree on a new round of talks, blaming each other for uncertainty over a date and venue.Iran is under sanctions designed by the United States, the European Union and the UN Security Council to pressure it to curb its controversial nuclear program.Israel, the sole but undeclared nuclear state in the Middle East, has refused to rule out a military strike to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms.

What's happening around Saudi Arabia

ALKHOBAR: A power failure at the King Fahd Causeway on Wednesday night resulted in a massive traffic congestion, even as officials failed to explain the cause of the snag, local media reported.A power outage for 74 minutes on the link between the Kin...

JEDDAH: A female Saudi lawyer was able to get a stay order on a ruling by the general court in Jeddah that awarded custody of a two-year-old girl to her father. She successfully argued to get the court order reversed that gave custody back to the mot...

JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) said that combating harassment cases is part of its responsibility to promote Islamic values and morals in society.“Those harassing women will be brought to book,” s...

JEDDAH: More than 26 million Umrah pilgrims and worshippers visited the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan and in the first few days after Eid Al-Fitr, thanks to a smooth transport arrangement under the guidance of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-...

AL-AHSA: An outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) has been discovered in cattle in Al-Ahsa which is an area with many cows. All necessary measures have been taken to protect the livestock, said Mahmoud Al-Shuaibi of the Agriculture Department in Al-Ah...

RIYADH: An architectural masterpiece — the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center (KAHC) — in Riyadh is a huge complex dedicated solely to collecting, preserving, promoting and showcasing the history and heritage of Saudi Arabia. The KAHC is a three milli...

RIYADH: The Saudi Blind Society (Kafif) has made all preparations for the three-day workshop for the blind to be held here next week and attended by delegates from various Asian countries.Mohammed bin Suleiman Al-Shuwaiman, Kafif director general, th...

JEDDAH: The number of Saudis who took early retirement schemes last year stood at 38,647, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has said. The Eastern Provinces got the lion's share of disbursements for retirees, amounting to SR3.8 bill...

JEDDAH: Meat and poultry topped the list of food items seized by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) at the border crossings for violating the health standards in the last two months.Approximately 267,137 kg of unfit meat and poultry were reject...

JEDDAH: Many sponsors and workers of small companies are struggling to get a comparatively cheaper health cover for renewal of iqama (residential permit) as the insurance companies have stopped issuing the same.The passport department has made it com...

RIYADH: Police have detained 11 Indonesian nationals, who arrived in the holy city of Makkah for Umrah a few days back.The Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry is working closely with the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah to assist the group of citizen...

JEDDAH: The National Committee for Bakeries at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) said this Haj season would see no shortage in supplies of bakery items.The committee said there was need to increase operational labor by about 20 percent.It confirmed...

LONDON: Members of Osama Bin Laden’s family were among four people who died when a private jet crashed in Britain, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in London said on Saturday.The Saudi-registered plane plowed into a car auction site and burst into flames in so...

JEDDAH: Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al Hamzi, director general of prisons, has sacked Brig. Ahmad Al Shahrani, director of Jeddah prisons, after the case of a video clip about prisoners taking heroin went viral, according to local media.Quoting informed source...